Resident Evil: A Lost Friend
by Neflanthir
Summary: Sequal to RE: A New Beginning. Please R&R. I'll put the disclaimer here: I don't own RE, Capcom does. Enjoy the fic. FINISHED!
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
  
  
Rick stood in the A.U.O base, the others were busy making plans for a new mission but Rick was being left out as he had been injured in their last raid. Leon was also missing this one because of the mission he had taken with the S.T.A.R.S. Rick was as bored as hell, he didn't know what to do. Maybe I should bug Leon, I know he's meant to be resting, hell, so am I but I doubt he will be. Kennedy's always doing something! It might be fun to bug him for a while, it'll give me something to do at least. Rick smiled to himself. No matter how hard Leon tried, Rick always got to him, Leon was really easy to embarrass. Rick walked to Leon's room & was about to enter when something caught his attention, Leon was talking to someone. The conversation seemed odd, Leon sounded a little strange so Rick decided to listen.  
  
"Hello? - Pause - Yes, that's right. I said I'd be in touch. - Another pause - Yes, of course I have. It all seems reasonable enough. - Pause - Yes, yes, I'm aware of that. It's worth it. - This time the pause lasted a few minutes - That's fine, I'll have everything sorted by then without a problem."  
  
The final pause was Leon hanging up the phone. Weird, I wonder what that was about. Better not ask though, he won't be happy if he knows I was listening in. Rick knocked on the door & entered on Leon's approval.  
  
"Rick? What's up?" Leon asked.  
  
"Nothing much, just bored. They won't even let me help them plan. They seem to think that it'll wear me out or something." Rick replied as normally as he could. Leon sighed & shook his head & Rick knew that Leon understood that it meant that Rick was going to bug him.  
  
"Before you start, I've got things to do. I can't really be a distraction for you. Time is a little short I'm afraid." Leon said tiredly.  
  
"But..." Rick started but then closed his mouth. He knew it was to do with the phone call but he couldn't really bring it up. Instead he sighed & nodded before leaving the room. Whatever this was about, Rick was pretty sure he didn't want to accidentally get involved. He walked to his own room, closing the door behind him, he had a feeling that Leon was going to leave them & that his friend was making a very big mistake. Rick laid down, suddenly realising just how exhausted he was, he drifted to sleep, praying that his intuition was wrong. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
  
  
Claire sat alone in her room, it was dark now & she couldn't see anything but that didn't matter to her, she was still in shock from what had happened a few hours ago, when it was still light. Since then, she had sat in shock, cried & tried her hardest to figure out how it had happened. Claire looked at the illuminated digital clock, it was now 2000, she had gotten a call from Leon at 1800, a phone call that had caused all this. Her friend had told her that he was leaving the A.U.O & getting away from Umbrella. He had told her that he couldn't deal with it all anymore & so he was leaving & not keeping in touch with anyone. He refused to explain any further then that & hung up after saying a final goodbye. I just don't understand, why would he do this? Where will he go? Everything was fine after the mission, it's only been a fortnight since then. Oh, Leon, why wouldn't you answer my questions, why are you leaving me? Why are you leaving your friends? Claire sighed heavily & started crying again. She heard the door about fifteen minutes later, Chris was home.  
  
Chris closed the door to his & Claire's apartment. He had been busy all day, trying to uncover more on Umbrella. It was difficult though, Umbrella covered their tracks well & bribed everyone who knew something, or disposed of them by other means. Chris sighed & then realized that he had turned the light on instead of it already being on.  
  
"Claire?" Chris called, worried that something might have happened to his little sister. Chris walked to her room & turned the light on. Claire was sat on her bed near the phone crying.  
  
"Claire? What is it? What's wrong?" Chris asked softly.  
  
"It's Leon. He's leaving." Claire replied, still sobbing.  
  
"What are you talking about? Start from the beginning." Chris said.  
  
"Leon called, a few hours ago now. He said he couldn't handle it & that he was leaving. He's just walking out on everyone! He won't even stay in touch." Claire shouted before starting to cry heavily again. Chris sighed & comforted his sister as best he could & called Jill to get everyone over to discuss the situation. Chris left Claire in Jill's more capable hands when she arrived, comforting people was not a strong point of his & everyone knew it.  
  
"So what's the situation?" Barry asked when he arrived.  
  
"Kennedy is the situation. We'll have to wait for Claire to calm down though, she's the one that spoke to him." Chris replied spitefully. Not only was Kennedy acting weird at that base, he's now just leaving with no explanation & upsetting Claire at the same time. The rookie is damn lucky he isn't around right now. Chris had been dubious of trusting Leon since before the mission had started & now he definitely knew he had been right not to trust him. The way he was acting with that guy as well, could he be a traitor? It's unlikely, this is Leon, goody-two-shoes rookie here. Still, I'd like to know why he was so frantic when I pulled him out of the water, he was terrified about, well, having lost something I guess. This just doesn't make any sense. Damn you Kennedy! Why'd you have to make things so much more difficult then they already were? Chris sighed & looked at Claire. She was finally ready to speak. After Claire relayed her conversation with Leon, everyone sat around, feeling a little shocked, Chris was the first to sober, though he was still shocked by what Claire had told them.  
  
"What do you think Chris?" Jill asked, startling Chris who was deep in thought. Chris looked round & sighed, not sure what to say, Claire was already upset & he didn't want to make it worse.  
  
"I, err, I don't know. All seems odd." Chris said finally.  
  
"Oh, just say it!" Claire snapped.  
  
"...Fine, I think this is linked with the mission. I said I didn't trust him then & I sure as hell don't now. Happy?" Chris shot back.  
  
"What are you implying Chris?" Jill asked calmly.  
  
Chris shook his head & sighed. "I don't know. I thought, maybe he could have turned traitor but then, it just doesn't sound like Kennedy."  
  
"Though everyone has a price." Barry said glumly, having still not forgiven himself for what had happened at the mansion.  
  
"Though I hate to admit it, that is probably the most logical thing any of us can come up with. There isn't a chance that he would just quit." Claire said sadly & hesitantly. Everyone was sullen. No one wanted to think that any one of them could become a traitor after everything they had gone through. Then Chris remembered something that helped everything fit into place, at least in his mind.  
  
"Leon mentioned a woman, before we left, now you said yourself that he was in love with this woman. Leon & Steve also had a deal, I'm betting that Leon was helping Steve because of this woman & that he's decided to go with her." Chris said, holding back the excitement that he felt because he might have solved the puzzle.  
  
"Um, I suppose that is a pretty big possibility. Still, if that woman was working for Wesker, why would he possibly be interested in Leon? That's the part that doesn't add up." Claire said hesitantly.  
  
"I'll agree with you there." Chris said.  
  
"Maybe we should go there, if Leon isn't there still, maybe someone else will know something." Jill suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement & fifteen minutes later, they were once again returning to Creek Lake. This time however, it was not on such good terms. I hope you ain't there rookie, or you'll be answering to my fist. Chris thought as he pulled away from the curb. Leon had upset Claire badly & Chris was very protective of his little sister.  
  
Jill took lead when they arrived at Creek Lake five hours later. Chris had been insistent on handling it but Jill wasn't stupid enough to allow that. She had fought with him for almost an hour before he finally gave in. Jill led the way to the base & knocked on the door.  
  
"Yeah?" A man asked & Jill instantly recognized him as the man that had approached Leon when the A.U.O had offered him a place.  
  
"Rick, isn't it? We were wondering if Leon was here?" Jill asked.  
  
"Nah. Kennedy split an hour ago." Rick replied.  
  
"I don't suppose you might know why?" Jill asked again.  
  
"Nope. He didn't say. Although..." Rick trailed off.  
  
"Although what?" Jill asked, more persistently.  
  
"Well, he made this phone call, sounded a bit weird." Rick replied hesitantly.  
  
"Could you be more specific?" Jill encouraged.  
  
"Let's see, he said that he told the person he'd be in touch & that something was worth it. Or something like that. I don't really remember. I just remember feeling that something was up & then a little later he comes in & tells everyone he's leaving. I'm pretty sure it was to do with the call. I'd hate to think what he's doing is wrong but that's the feeling I got. He seemed a little worried but at the same time happy. It was weird, I've never known him to be like that." Rick said.  
  
"So, you think he's gone off with a bad cause?" Jill asked, not really wanting to push because of the strong friendship the two had.  
  
"Yeah. He's been off since he got that package, distracted & stuff. Then when he got back he was pretty jumpy, like he was hiding something. Then later that night he went outside & he had a disk with him when he came back in, oh & a cell phone. Then wham, he's leaving." Rick replied.  
  
"But neither the disk nor phone are here I suppose?" Jill asked hopefully.  
  
"Afraid not. First thing I checked." Rick replied.  
  
"All right. Thanks a lot for your help." Jill said.  
  
"No problem. Look, you find him, let me know. He's a good friend & I don't want to see him in trouble." Rick said.  
  
"Of course. Thanks again." Jill said before leaving.  
  
Chris started the minute they got back to the car.  
  
"That's it? That's the best you could do?" He said angrily.  
  
"Yes Chris. That's right. If it's any consolation, it sounds like you're right, okay?" Jill spat back.  
  
"There isn't anything we can do about it. Let's just go, it's late." Claire suggested calmly. After a little debate, it was decided that they should stay in the car overnight & drive back in the morning. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
  
  
Leon & Ada stood in the shadows listening to Jill & Rick's conversation. Leon sighed & shook his head when the S.T.A.R.S had left.  
  
"Perhaps not so easy? Though it's too late now." Ada said in an I-told- you-so manner.  
  
"Just a pain that I didn't make it clean, although I didn't expect to. Still, I can't believe Rick sat listening to my conversation." Leon replied.  
  
"Good job you didn't say much." Ada added.  
  
"Hmm, well I've learnt not to." Leon replied.  
  
"Good job too." Ada agreed.  
  
They turned away from the base & headed back to their car. Ada paused & turned round to see a man stood behind them. Leon turned round as well, a flash of recognition & shock passed across his face.  
  
"So, explain to me." The dark haired man ordered.  
  
"Frankly Rick, it's none of your business." Leon replied.  
  
"I disagree, friend. If you're doing something stupid it's everyone's business." Rick retorted.  
  
"Leon left your group. He is no longer your concern." Ada said.  
  
Rick looked dubiously at her & then brushed her comment aside.  
  
"Look Kennedy, I'm not gonna stand around & let you ruin your life. What ever the reason is, it isn't good enough." Rick said.  
  
"We have more visitors." Ada informed Leon. A minute later the S.T.A.R.S stepped into view. Shit! Like this guy wasn't enough. Damn it Wesker, I said this was a bad idea but would you listen, no. Ada sighed & looked across at Leon, not sure how he would cope with the confrontation.  
  
"Leon, will you tell us, please?" A brown-haired woman asked & Ada recognized her as being the person she had thrown the rocket launcher to just before she had escaped from Raccoon City.  
  
"I told you, I don't want to have to deal with this anymore. My life is ruined enough." Leon replied calmly.  
  
"I don't believe that for a minute. Oh, who's this?" She continued, pointing at Ada.  
  
"She isn't involved with this Claire, it doesn't matter." Leon replied.  
  
"Enough! You've upset Claire a lot tonight, you're bloody lucky that you're still conscious right now. So quit lying & get answering." A man shouted, Ada thought it was Chris Redfield but could not be sure in the dim light.  
  
"What is your problem? I'm not allowed a life of my own for Claire's sake? Screw that Chris. I've said all that needs to be said. I'm through with this." Leon retorted. Chris moved in to grab Leon but Ada moved in the way & as she had thought, he backed off again.  
  
"Look lady, this doesn't concern you. Move aside." Chris said a little more calmly.  
  
"Wrong. Leon is my business." Ada replied bluntly.  
  
"That voice, I recognize it. Raccoon! You're the one that threw the launcher aren't you! Should I presume that you're Ada?" Claire asked.  
  
Ada paused for a moment before answering, she didn't want to be involved in the catfight that was taking place.  
  
"I'm afraid that you're mistaken miss." She said as normally as she could.  
  
"You're the chick he was moping over? So he's leaving with you & whoever you represent." Rick said in a matter-of-fact way.  
  
"Will you back off? I told you, she has nothing to do with this." Leon retorted spitefully.  
  
"...Whatever." Came the simple reply.  
  
Ada walked up to Leon & whispered in his ear. "(Time to go Leon, back up has arrived & we don't want to get in the middle of this.)"  
  
Leon nodded & they both started walking away, just as someone was about to follow, the squad moved in & prevented them from following. Ada looked back at their enemy's confused faces & smiled, she then drove away from the group & returned to the base.  
  
As soon as the car pulled away the soldiers that had confronted them started pulling back, though they never took their sight or weapons away from them. Five minutes later & it was all over. The group stood in disbelief. Chris was angry, there was no doubting that. Not only had Leon betrayed them, he stood there blatantly lying to them without the slightest care or worry, like none of them mattered to him. Chris couldn't understand how he had changed so much & from the look on his friend's face, he couldn't either. Chris turned to Claire to see how she had taken it, she was staring into space looking unhappy, though she seemed to be a little less confused than everyone else.  
  
"He loves her you know, more than anything. This is the only way they can be together, he told me once, that the only reason he left Raccoon was because she had told him to, otherwise he would have stayed, he said he couldn't live without her." Claire said, staring blankly at where the car had been & ignoring everyone else. She sighed & looked at Chris before continuing. "Don't be angry with him, he has to follow his heart now that he knows she's alive. I don't mind so much now that I know why."  
  
Chris looked at his little sister & nodded, glad that she was taking it as well as she was & not wanting to argue with her. Claire slowly made her way back to the car & everyone followed, though no one doubted that sleeping was going to be a very difficult task. 


	4. Chapter 3

Thanks to Linda for the reviews  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Wesker stood silently, waiting for Ada & Leon to return. He was well aware that Ada would be angry for putting them in the situation he had. Ada walked in five minutes later looking very unhappy & Wesker stifled a grin. Wesker & his superiors had felt it necessary to test Leon's loyalties & Wesker was very surprised from what the squad had reported but he wanted a direct report from Ada before he took it seriously. Ada walked towards him & he could clearly see an I-told-you-so coming.  
  
"Ada my dear, you don't look very happy." Wesker said smoothly.  
  
"Why would I? I know why you sent us but still, wasn't there a less, dangerous way to check?" Ada snapped back, though she didn't show any anger towards him, only displeasure.  
  
"No. It was the only way to test him. Now I want a report." He replied.  
  
Ada nodded & followed him to his office. Thirty minutes later & the debriefing was over. Ada was about to leave when Wesker stopped her, having remembered something else he needed to mention.  
  
"One final thing, don't you think you should tell him your real name? Ada is officially inactive as of tomorrow." He said it smoothly but deliberately.  
  
"I, hadn't really thought about it but yes, I suppose I should. I'm sure it will be quite confusing for him though." Ada replied blankly. Wesker waved his hand to dismiss her & continued with some other work.  
  
Wesker finished twenty minutes later & now sat trying to come up with a way to get his revenge on the S.T.A.R.S, so far he had not thought of anything that would definitely work. Getting them where he wanted them would be difficult, they would be a lot more cautious after the Pickerel Lake mission. Though his plan of using Kennedy to obtain the T-E Virus had worked perfectly. It's just a matter of time Redfield. Then, I'm not going to let anything come between your death & me. All you stupid S.T.A.R.S are dead! Better yet, why not have Kennedy kill Redfield's sister right in front of him? Then, I can have the pleasure of destroying him mentally & physically. Wesker smiled, revenge would be sweet.  
  
Leon sat in the room he was sharing with Ada, waiting for her to return. Ada grinned shyly when she entered the room some time later.  
  
"Um, there's something I need to tell you." She said hesitantly.  
  
Leon frowned, wondering what she would possibly need to tell him.  
  
"So? What is it?" He asked.  
  
"Well, it's about my name actually."  
  
"I don't understand? What about it?"  
  
"You see, Ada Wong is a mission name, not my real name & it's defunct as of midnight."  
  
"This is going to get confusing isn't it? I have to call you by a different name all of a sudden?"  
  
"Basically, yes."  
  
"So, what is your real name?"  
  
"First, my name changes all the time, each mission I take calls for a new identity. Okay? My birth name is Aki Wolf."  
  
"Aki? Where does that come from?"  
  
"Japan originally, I think. Well, that's all I had to tell you." Ada blushed & looked away.  
  
"You don't need to get embarrassed about it, Aki."  
  
Aki looked back at Leon & he smiled. Nothing else mattered to him but her & the love they both shared. They embraced long & hard, which was eventually stopped when Aki received a call. She took it & apologized when she hung up, she had to leave him again. Leon shrugged & she kissed him quickly before she left. Aki Wolf not Ada Wong, this is going to be very difficult but what does a name matter? The only thing that matters is that she is the woman I love, I can deal with the name thing. What's that saying? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet? Something like that. Leon smiled, sayings weren't a strong point for him, not that he cared. He sat down, suddenly thinking of Raccoon City & Claire. He hesitated, knowing that it was probably a bad idea but he soon found the phone in his hand, calling her number.  
  
"Hello?" A fatigue filled voice spoke.  
  
"...Um, hi Claire." He said hesitantly.  
  
"Leon?" She asked, surprised & now fully alert.  
  
"I, err, I wanted to apologies for what I said earlier." Came the feeble response.  
  
"Apologies? You don't have anything to apologies for. I understand Leon, that you followed your heart. You told me that you couldn't live without her, right. It's all right Leon. Tell me something, were you helping Steve?"  
  
"...Yes, I was. That was before I..."  
  
"Did, did he saying anything to you, about me?"  
  
"Yes, he did. That was why I had to help, because if you got into trouble he was going to help you no matter what & that jeopardized his mission. He was the one that offered me a place here actually, he said that the two of us were alike, both trapped from the woman we loved, he said I could leave you guys & be with her. I didn't believe him at first but...then it was placed in front of me again & I just couldn't say no."  
  
"He really said he loved me?" Claire started crying at this point.  
  
"Yes Claire, he loved you very much & making sure that you got out safely was all that mattered to him. You were his life, just like she is mine."  
  
"Oh Leon, I miss him so much, I really do. Yet at the same time I'm happy for you. This is confusing."  
  
"Sorry Claire. It's late, I should go. I shouldn't have called in the first place."  
  
"But you did, not to apologies, you don't regret your choice, it was to tell me what Steve had said, so I knew how he felt. Thank you Leon, thank you so very much. Take care."  
  
With that she hung up, Leon placed the phone back on the receiver & sighed. There you go Steve, she knows now. Leon sighed & laid down, wondering if he would get in trouble for calling Claire, he knew it was an untraceable line but it might cause questions to arise as to his loyalties.  
  
"Was it really necessary Kennedy?" Wesker asked. Leon jumped, not realizing that Wesker was in the room.  
  
"I think so. Steve did me a favour & I was repaying it." Leon replied as casually as he could. Wesker just nodded, it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking. Finally he looked directly at Leon.  
  
"Fine, this time but no more contact Kennedy. Got it?" It was a cold, firm order. Leon just nodded, feeling intimidated by the man in front of him. Wesker, seemingly satisfied, turned & left the room. Aki entered a short time later with a disapproving look on her face. Leon grinned shyly & she shook her head smiling as well.  
  
"Big risk Kennedy. Could've caused major problems for you." Aki said in an authoritative tone.  
  
"I know, I just felt like I owed him it though." Leon replied.  
  
Aki nodded & motioned that she was going to bed but Leon had other plans. He grabbed her & pulled her close to him, they kissed passionately & Leon started to undress her. Their first night together as a couple would be one that they would both remember for a long time to come. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Claire sat across the room from Chris, he still couldn't understand why Claire didn't seem to mind Leon having turned against them.  
  
"He'll come back to us Chris. He just has to realize that she isn't worth throwing everything away for." Claire said suddenly.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Chris asked calmly, though he was more than a little confused by her statement.  
  
"Because I know him & my instincts tell me so." Claire replied blankly.  
  
"Claire...Just don't get your hopes up." Chris finally said.  
  
"I don't need to Chris. I know I'm right." Claire replied.  
  
Chris sighed, he knew he couldn't convince her otherwise but he didn't want to see get hurt either. And, not that you'll admit it, you hope she's right. Leon may have screwed up recently but all in all, he's a good kid. He shouldn't be with that trash. Chris stood up & left the room, just as he did, the phone rang. Chris hesitated for a moment before answering it.  
  
"Hello?" Chris asked.  
  
"Chris Redfield?" A voice asked in response.  
  
"Yes. Who is this?" Chris asked.  
  
"Rick, Leon's friend. Um, we've just found out about an Umbrella base which has, fallen, so to speak, only, we can't deal with it right now, so we wondered if you guys would be interested." Rick replied cautiously.  
  
"We'll need more information." Chris stated.  
  
"Of course. If you would like, you can come here to discuss it tomorrow afternoon." Rick said in a business manner.  
  
"We'll be there." Chris said before replacing the phone on the receiver.  
  
"Who was that?" Claire asked from behind him.  
  
"Rick. We have another chance." Chris replied.  
  
Claire picked up the phone to inform Jill & Barry, while Chris checked on their equipment. He didn't want to take any risks with this mission, it had been too close the last time, they had already lost a friend.  
  
Barry immediately started checking his equipment & getting everything together, he had a bad feeling about the mission but he was hardly about to accept that it meant something, it was not his usual gut instinct. Jill had been at his apartment when Claire had called, so Barry & Jill had both been told the brief information at the same time. Jill had left swiftly afterwards in order to prepare her things as Barry was doing now. They would all be meeting at Chris' apartment at 0800 the following day, before heading back to Creek Lake & their new adventure. Before that however, came a lot of hard work. Barry sighed, suddenly thinking about their trip to Creek Lake & their former friend's betrayal. Barry had been shocked to find out that Leon had turned his back on them & he couldn't help but wonder what Leon might do if they met him again, he shuddered at the thought & quickly pushed it out of his mind. Barry looked at everything & realized that everything was in order. He looked at his watch & after realizing the time, he retired to bed.  
  
Rick was getting frustrated, the S.T.A.R.S were asking a lot of questions, especially considering he had already told them that he didn't know much about it. The only thing he knew for sure was that, no matter what they said, he was going with them. He sat down & sighed, ignoring the millions of questions he couldn't answer, along with the incessant squabbling.  
  
"Look, I told you what I know, okay. Oh & I'm coming too by the way." Rick said dryly about five minutes later.  
  
"Say what?" Chris asked, stunned.  
  
"I'm going with you. Kind of an act of good faith." Rick replied.  
  
"In other words, your people don't trust us." Claire said sarcastically.  
  
"Well, that too, I guess." Rick replied, blushing slightly.  
  
Claire smiled in response to his obvious embarrassment. Rick smiled slightly but looked seriously at Chris, knowing that his decision was the one that counted.  
  
"I suppose, since this information does belong to your group, that we can hardly say no to your request." Chris said in a slightly strained manner.  
  
"That's great! So, when do we go?" Rick responded emphatically.  
  
"Tomorrow. We'll be there by nightfall." Chris stated.  
  
"Always under the cover of darkness. It makes us seem like the bad guys, sneaking around all the time." Jill said with disdain.  
  
"It's the only way to keep us safe Jill, you know that." Barry stated.  
  
Jill nodded but still seemed a little down. Chris told everyone to get some sleep after Rick had assigned them all rooms. Rick had a feeling that things were going to get worse. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
  
  
The group arrived at the Umbrella base at 2300, they had gone down the Little Sioux River for a more discreet arrival. They could tell that something had gone wrong at the base the moment they arrived. The complex was dead, there were no lights on & the four guard towers that surrounded the complex were empty. There was no sign of life anywhere in the vicinity. Jill pointed out the main entrance, it was directly opposite them, on the other side of a ten-foot, wire mesh fence. They all made their way over the fence, being careful not to loose any of the equipment in the process. Jill stood in front of the main doors waiting for everyone else, she was also thinking of a 'friend' that she had contacted before they had left for the Umbrella base. Carlos, why wouldn't you come & help us? I really wanted to see you. What is keeping you so busy? I thought you were as determined as us to take down Umbrella. Jill, talking to yourself isn't going to answer why Carlos said no. Concentrate on the mission. Jill sighed & looked at the others. When she did, she realized that they all had their guns trained on a shadowy figure. Jill removed her M92F from its holster & joined the rest of her team.  
  
"Look, I'm not an enemy here. Just looking for a lady friend." The figure said, in a very familiar accent.  
  
"Carlos?" Jill asked, before she even realized she had spoken.  
  
"Jill! Great. Can you tell your friends lower their guns now?" Carlos responded, semi-sarcastically.  
  
"Guys, this is Carlos, my help during the RCI. I thought you said you weren't coming." Jill blurted, still surprised.  
  
Carlos shrugged, then spoke. "Figured I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see you senorita."  
  
Jill smiled. "I'm glad. Are you equipped?"  
  
Carlos nodded but said nothing.  
  
"We can all get introduced later. Let get on with what we came here to do." Chris said firmly & they entered the base, unsure of the horrors that awaited them.  
  
Chris stood at the edge of the door, realizing that the door had needed a keycard, someone had been here before them & had left the door ajar but was it so the S.T.A.R.S could get in? Is this a trap? It's all been too easy so far. Question is, if it is a trap, who set it, Umbrella, or Wesker? Chris shuddered slightly, remembering his last encounter with Wesker & how lucky he was to have escaped alive & in one piece. He shook off his thoughts & entered the base.  
  
Chris was stood in what appeared to be a reception area, which was slightly reminiscent of the mansion. Spencer Estate, Spencer Ohio, both Spencer, is it a coincidence, or does it prove that Wesker is behind this? Better not say anything to the others, I don't want to worry them, they've already got enough to contemplate. Chris looked around. There was a door to the left, a door to the right & a stairway in the middle. Chris considered which order they should enter each area & decided to go through the right door, then the left door before finally proceeding up the stairs. He relayed his orders & then made his way though the doorway & onto another survival horror mission.  
  
The group entered a long, wooden corridor, a gray, metal door was clearly visible, on their left hand side, approximately half way down the corridor. Chris walked down the corridor, ignoring the door & carrying on round to the end of the passage, finding two other doors leading to the same room as the first. The corridor dead-ended just past a door leading to the outside, Chris went to the closest door that led to the large room. Chris opened the door carefully & peered inside. The room appeared to be a large dormitory or living quarters. Chris stepped inside hesitantly, although there was no visible enemies, the room was trashed & smelt of death, the knot in Chris' stomach tightened as he heard a low-pitched moan behind him. Chris spun round aiming his Beretta in the approximate direction the moan had come from. A bed obscured the view of where he expected the zombie to be.  
  
"Damn it!" Chris cursed under his breath.  
  
The sound Chris made stirred up new noise, from all around the team came hungry moans, there was no doubt left in Chris' mind, they were completely surrounded by the living dead. One by one the unearthly creatures stepped into view, there had to be at least sixty zombies surrounding them if not more, things had just got difficult. Chris considered grabbing the Remington M1100 shotgun he had attached to his back holster but changed his mind. Although the M1100 was stronger than his Beretta, it was also slower, also, headshots were much more effective than standard shots & Chris, being a marksman, had an advantage. Chris quickly took aim, as did his team. They weren't going down without a fight.  
  
Chris fired two consecutive rounds at the head of a zombie, the first round missed its mark but took down another zombie, the second round hit its mark perfectly. Jill was using MAC-11 & Carlos was covering her with an M4A1. They were dropping the zombie hoards quickly. Barry was also doing a good job with his standard Colt Python, Rick was covering Barry with a Benelli M3S. Chris' cover was his sister, Claire, she was using a P229, the scope & laser sighting helping her with headshots. Chris quickly changed clips, having little problem since he had kept the zombies away from him. Some of the others were having a little more trouble, Rick & Barry especially. Having only six or seven rounds & having to reload one bullet at a time made things difficult for them. On more than one occasion, Rick had been forced to kick a zombie backwards to stop himself from being bitten. Chris turned his attention back to the battle & realized just how close he had allowed the zombie to come. He quickly grabbed his M1100 & fired into the large group of approaching zombies. Five zombies were killed in the blast & a further five were knocked back far enough for Chris to return to his Beretta. The more we take down, the more there seems to be. Where the hell are they all coming from? Chris continued firing though he was beginning to worry about their ammunition & whether the army of the undead would ever decrease in number.  
  
A figure entered the room from the first door they had seen when they had entered the wooden corridor, the dim light made the figure impossible to identify but Chris was sure that it was a woman. The person walked casually, carrying something. As the figure stepped closer to the group, it became obvious that it was a woman, she placed the object she was carrying fairly close to the hoard of zombies & the casually walked back to the door she had entered. When she had arrived at the door & was halfway out, she removed a small device & pressed it. Only then did Chris realize what was going on, she had planted a bomb, which was about to detonate. Chris yelled at everyone to take cover as he dove for shelter himself. Thirty seconds later & the room shook with the explosive force the bomb had created, along with a blinding light & deafening noise. When Chris looked up, he saw that the zombies were dead, it had also provided the mysterious woman a chance to escape. Chris looked around, checking the status of his team, everyone seemed physically fine, though much shorter on ammo than Chris had hoped. He was relieved that the woman had planted the bomb & saved them, yet at the same time it bought up a lot of unanswerable questions. For instance, who is she & what is she doing here? Did she leave the door open? I wonder if...  
  
"Chris? Is everything all right?" Jill asked.  
  
"Everything's fine Jill. I was just thinking, that's all." Chris replied.  
  
"About?" Jill continued.  
  
"Did anyone else see that woman?" Chris asked, slightly spaced out.  
  
"Yeah, I did. Reckon it was Kennedy's lass." Rick replied.  
  
"Ada? Why do you say that?" Claire asked.  
  
"You think I'm gonna forget a figure like that?" Rick replied lightly.  
  
"Oh boy. Anyway, left side of the hall now, right? Maybe we'll find our mysterious help there." Claire said.  
  
"Hmm, maybe." Chris responded.  
  
"You don't think so Chris?" Barry asked.  
  
"That senorita won't be seen unless she wants to be seen. Si?" Carlos asked.  
  
"Probably." Chris replied. He then headed back to the main hall & the next stage of their adventure. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
  
  
There was no sound, except for the soft footsteps of the person approaching.  
  
"Well?" Wesker asked impatiently.  
  
"I did as you said. They're continuing now." Aki replied.  
  
"Did they see you well enough to recognize you?" Wesker asked.  
  
"Not in the dim light. The most they could have seen is the fact that I'm a woman. Stop worrying." Aki replied dryly.  
  
"You have no authority telling me what to do Wolf. This is important, you know that." Wesker spat back.  
  
"I'm more than aware of it Wesker. This effects me much more than it does you." Aki retorted.  
  
"So, have you done your part Kennedy?" Wesker asked a few minutes later.  
  
"Yeah, it's sorted." Leon replied, stepping into view.  
  
"We head down in five." Wesker ordered.  
  
Stupid boy, you'll learn what you got into. I may have to wait to take my revenge on the S.T.A.R.S but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun. You'll pay little boy, this I guarantee. Wesker smiled slightly as the S.T.A.R.S left the small partitioned area in the main hall & then exited through the door on the West Wing.  
  
"On second thoughts, we're heading to the power room." Wesker stated. Aki nodded to show she understood & then the three made their way to B1 & the power room.  
  
Carlos walked next to Jill as they entered the West Wing of the complex. Though he was happy to see Jill again, he was unsure that he wanted to be in the middle of another Umbrella nightmare, the recent encounter with the zombies had made that more than apparent. If it wasn't for that woman... Carlos' hand brushed against Jill's, snapping him back to reality.  
  
"Something wrong?" Jill asked softly.  
  
"Nada senorita." Carlos replied.  
  
There was a door to the right when they entered the whitewashed corridor. To the side was a gold plaque, which read: Office 1. The door was opened in the same manner as the one to the living quarters had been. Chris entered the small office first, gun raised, after an 'all clear', everyone else entered the room. The office seemed ordinary & after a search, nothing was found, it was the same story with office two, which was further down the hall. Office three seemed to be the same story but on further inspection, a fancy, silver key was discovered, taped under the desk. They had left the office to check the remainder of the corridor, which dead- ended, as it had on the other wing, however, there appeared to be a secret door but with no way to open it. The only place left to check was upstairs.  
  
Leon entered the power room after Wesker & Aki. He paused, shocked by the sight in front of him. The corridor in front of him was full of scalding hot steam coming from pipes in the wall. As he looked closer he realised that the pipes were in a sequence of high & low. A puzzle, though it's nothing like anything I've seen before. Why make it so difficult to get into a power room? Leon's thoughts were cut short by a callous voice.  
  
"Can you handle it Wolf?" Wesker asked, though it sounded more like an order.  
  
"Of course I can." Aki replied indignantly.  
  
"Than get going." Wesker ordered smugly.  
  
Leon barely managed to stop himself from grabbing Aki, instead, he looked away, unable to watch the danger his love was in. Wesker pushed him forward a few minutes later, Aki had made it to the other side of the corridor & had turned the steam off. Leon sighed, unable to contain his relief. Wesker pushed him forward again & before he knew it, he was at the end of the corridor.  
  
"Things would be much easier if you just walked Kennedy." Wesker said sarcastically before moving ahead of him.  
  
"You want me to take this?" Aki asked.  
  
Leon looked & saw a large tiled area, there was an alternating current running though it. This was definitely more difficult than the first puzzle & Leon didn't want Aki anywhere near it.  
  
"No. I'll handle this one. It shouldn't matter if I go wrong, not that I will." Wesker replied before making his way to the first tile. Wesker watched the tiles for about five minutes, working out exactly how to get across the tiles, finally, he made his way to the switch that would stop the current, without the slightest hesitation. The moment the current had stopped, Aki & Wesker continued, Leon was left lagging behind once again. Aki is a completely different person when she's working, or maybe it's just with Wesker, he isn't exactly tolerant. Guess I'd better keep up. Leon looked in horror at the final section of the power room, there was a large fire pit, with seemingly no way across & too long to jump.  
  
"Now what? There's no way across." Leon stated, which received him a disapproving look from Wesker.  
  
"There is a way across. There are bars across the top. Do you want to take it or should I?" Wesker said.  
  
"I'll go, it shouldn't be difficult & being shorter, I'll be further away from the heat." Aki replied, somewhat adamantly.  
  
Wesker simply nodded in response & Leon couldn't help but wonder how Wesker could be so detached & emotionless. Aki made it across the power room effortlessly & entered a door located to her left. She emerged a few seconds later & proceeded to the door, which was now opposite her. The sound of hydraulics was heard & the bars Aki had used to cross turned out to be a bridge. Wesker quickly made his way across but signalled for Leon to stay where he was. Leon stood patiently, waiting for Aki & Wesker to return. When the returned to view, Leon saw what appeared to be disappointment on their faces, Leon presumed that they hadn't found what they were looking for. Wesker walked across the small bridge first, followed by Aki. The bridge suddenly began to shake violently, it rose slightly & started rocking, the last thing Leon saw of Aki was her falling over the side of the bridge. Leon dropped to his knees, knowing that Aki had fallen straight into the fire pit. He had lost her again.  
  
"I understand that this is difficult for you Kennedy but we need to get moving." Wesker said, slightly softer than his usual tone.  
  
"Yeah, sure." Leon replied blankly. Could that guy actually care? This is Wesker you're talking about Leon, there's no way he gives a shit about, Aki or anyone else for that matter. Just stop thinking. They left the power room & headed back to the second floor. 


	8. Chapter 7

Thanks everyone who reviewed. Still can't believe I haven't got any bad ones!  
  
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Chapter 7  
  
  
  
  
  
The S.T.A.R.S walked back to the main hall, in order to move their search to the second floor. Rick trailed behind the others, not really feeling a part of the group. The only one of them he had ever known was Leon & that was the only reason he was here, to get his friend back. Upon entering the hall, Rick noticed a glint of metal on his left hand side, upon further inspection he found two gold coloured keys bound by a silver coloured ring. One was obviously for a door & the other appeared to be for a storage box. Pretty lucky to have seen them in that plant pot, they were well hidden, I guess they must be important. Rick decided not to mention this to the others for the moment, especially since they hadn't even noticed he had left the group to look at them in the first place. He quickly rejoined the group before they noticed his absence.  
  
"So, now what?" Rick asked nonchalantly.  
  
"Lets check the other side of the stairwell, before starting this side. We all stick together." Chris said.  
  
Man that guy is pissing me off, thinks he's so damn good…The jerk won't even admit that he's leading these guys. Stupid, bossy, moron. Well, I'm the one that saw that key & you guys still don't even know that it exists. You're supposed to be the professionals, you know. Leon was always better off with us than he was with you. You people are a joke, a joke with a big mouth.  
  
"Something wrong Rick?" Barry asked.  
  
"Nah, just thinking." Rick replied with a grin. Barry grinned back & nodded, Rick's insinuation working perfectly.  
  
The S.T.A.R.S team suddenly stopped, Rick noticing just in time to stop himself from walking into Claire.  
  
"Ready?" Chris asked quietly, everyone nodded, despite the question being rhetorical.  
  
The group entered a room, which appeared to be a gym, living room & game room all in one, glancing around the ominously quiet room, Rick noticed a puddle of a thick, red liquid, just visible from behind a divider. He was just about to tell the others when the attack began.  
  
Claire gasped when she saw a huge red creature appearing from a hidden part of the room, more appeared in a short space of time, eventually they were surrounded by around twenty of the strange creatures. She grabbed her gun & removed the safety catch as the camel-like creatures closed the gap between them. The creatures then stood motionless, the S.T.A.R.S doing the same, not wanting to provoke an attack. They're horrible, the blades on the feet must be two inches, the teeth can't be much shorter & the spike on the back & tail must be about five inches high, all of which seem very sharp & equally uninviting. I wonder what it was, some of it looks like a horse, other bits like a camel & that back of it's looks like a stegosaurus. This is not good. They don't look too friendly & I really don't like the way they're looking at us. At least we have descent weapons this time round. Claire looked away from the creatures & turned to Chris, hoping her brother would have the answer. Chris glanced at her & she realised there was no way they could avoid the impending fight. Claire put the safety back on her P229 & holstered it, pulling out her H&K SP 89 instead, she saw everyone else pulling out their stronger weaponry as well. Chris got out his Remington M1100, Jill had her MAC-11 in her hand, Carlos was drawing his M4A1 Assault Rifle & Rick had his Benalli M3S, she didn't need to look at Barry, knowing that he would have his Colt Python firmly in his hand. She looked back at the creatures, just in time to see that they had begun the attack.  
  
Claire dived to the side just in time to avoid being rammed by one of the creatures. She quickly pulled up her H&K to fire at the creature but it toppled before she could pull the trigger, Chris stood above her, offering his hand to help her up.  
  
"Thanks, I owe you one." Claire said quickly, before turning her attention back to the attacking creatures.  
  
"Nah. You'll never owe me anything, I've got to look out for you." Chris replied, Claire glanced over in time to see the lopsided grin on his face before he also focused on the creatures. Claire aimed her H&K in the direction of one of the creatures & fired, it started running towards her, very quickly. Claire backed away, still firing, if the creature didn't drop before she ran out of room to back off, Claire wouldn't be continuing with the mission, or any other. She glanced round quickly, though she was still firing at the attacking creature, it seemed everyone else was in just as much trouble as she was. Is this it? Are we all going to die here? Stop it! We'll be fine, if I got out of Raccoon & Rockfort, then I can get out of this. It'll be fine. Now concentrate on what you're doing & take these things out. Claire sighed & turned her full attention to defeating the monsters, determined that they would not fail while Umbrella & Wesker were still free to continue with their plans & experiments.  
  
Barry fired again, so far the creature had taken three magnum rounds, he would be forced to reload soon & that meant trouble. Rick edged near him, still focusing on the creatures.  
  
"Tell me when you need to reload, I'll cover you." Rick said, not taking his eyes from the creatures.  
  
"Will do, thanks. You'll need to just after me, so I guess we cover each other." Barry replied. Rick simply nodded & continued his assault. Barry also continued, they couldn't afford to run out of ammunition at the same time or they were as good as dead. Barry took his last shot, one of the creatures finally falling dead to the floor. Rick quickly stepped in front of him, keeping the creatures at bay, Barry quickly reloaded, finishing just as Rick fired his last bullet. This routine continued for another ten minutes, both men were becoming exhausted. A quick look around the room told them that there were still ten or fifteen of the creatures remaining & that everyone was tired from the fight. If they kept this up much longer they would all collapse from exhaustion, then they would be dead. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
  
  
  
  
Chris wiped the perspiration from his forehead, he hadn't expected such a difficult fight. They were all exhausted & running low on ammunition. Reload time was almost asking to be killed & the creatures seemed to have a very high tolerance to their firepower. Chris fired another shell into one of the creatures as it stretched it's long neck towards him, the creature fell to the floor, dead. The strong blast at such close proximity to it's head was apparently too much, even for these extremely resilient creatures. He sighed in relief & looked back to Claire, she nodded that she was okay & went back to firing at the creatures. Wait a minute, if headshots work with the shotgun, would they work with the handgun too? If I used a three round burst, it might be enough to kill these things. Worth a try I guess. Chris put his shotgun on his back & quickly grabbed his handgun, taking aim at the closest creature's head, he fired three rounds consecutively, to his surprise & relief, the creature was killed instantly. Their heads were their weakness.  
  
"Claire! Switch to your handgun, use three burst headshots." Chris yelled, glancing at her briefly, only to ensure she had heard him. Claire nodded & also started to use the technique. Suddenly the fight didn't seem so challenging. A further five minutes & the fight was over. The group collapsed on the floor in exhaustion, checking their reserves once they had caught their breath.  
  
"Glad that's over compadres." Carlos said, still out of breath.  
  
"I could agree with that. That was so difficult, I wasn't sure that we would pull through." Jill said after.  
  
"I think we probably all had the same thought." Claire added.  
  
"We'll rest for ten, fifteen minutes, then carry on. Make the most of it." Chris said, he then collapsed back on the floor, taking his own advice. The rest was much needed by all the group, the problem being making everyone get up again when it was time to go. Hopefully the lure of being able to leave the facility would be enough for them all.  
  
  
  
Wesker led Leon to the partitioned area in the main hall, Leon was very withdrawn since the 'accident' in the power room. Wesker smiled to himself, everything was going exactly how he had planned it. Once they arrived, Wesker ushered Leon into the room & closed the door.  
  
"You think the others are dead too?" Leon asked in a somewhat dead tone.  
  
"The S.T.A.R.S?" Wesker asked in response. Leon nodded & looked around the room.  
  
Wesker smirked at Leon's reaction before answering him. "Knowing Redfield, I expect they're fine. The exercise was to lower their ammunition & to tire them out a little."  
  
Stupid boy, he has no idea what is going on here. I shouldn't complain though, it does make things much easier for me. Not long now & this will be finished & the dead man returns to the shadows. As long as you live S.T.A.R.S, I'll be there. You will die & I will have my revenge. Wesker smirked again before replacing his poker face & waiting for the S.T.A.R.S to return. Just when they thought they were safe & free of this place, he would show them how wrong they were. 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
  
  
  
  
Carlos dragged himself off the floor, doubting even more that he should have come along. But if I didn't, there would have been no one to cover Jill & I couldn't forgive myself if she got hurt, or killed. Might as well face it, I'd do anything she asked me to 'cause I'm head over heels for her. Stupidest idea I ever had, even if she is the most beautiful woman in existence. Carlos sighed & followed the others out of the room. They entered another room & Carlos was pleased to see a nice, monster-free office. They briefly scanned the office & found nothing of any use, the next room was exactly the same. Carlos was about to call it quits in a third office when he saw a piece of paper with a password & user name, a closer look told him that it was a computer password for a room called Alpha Lab. He told Jill & she gave it to Chris, after giving him a kiss on the cheek as a congratulations. Carlos smiled, maybe coming wasn't such a bad thing after all. Carlos followed the others in a daze, busy daydreaming of Jill & him getting married. He was knocked out of his daydreams when he walked into Jill.  
  
"Uh, sorry. Guess I wasn't watching what I was doing." Carlos said, blushing slightly. Jill smiled & nodded, she then turned back to face Chris, apparently curious about the sudden stop.  
  
"What is the hold up compadre?" Carlos asked, not caring about the response.  
  
"Just checking the key we found earlier, I think it's for that room." Chris replied, pointing to the next room they were going to enter. Chris walked to the door & unlocked it, upon entering the room, Carlos had to stop himself from stating that it was a control room, he was determined not to let himself look stupid in front of Jill again.  
  
Chris looked around the room, hoping to find the proof they were looking for. The room was very bland & the television wall seemed to be broken, though none of the monitors mentioned laboratories, or any other floors. Chris sighed disappointedly, he had hoped the control room would have been useful but it was as useless as everywhere else. The group left to enter the final room on the second floor, somewhat disheartened. Chris glanced at the sign on the door & almost considered not entering, if the control room had been useless, he couldn't see that a meeting room would be any better. Upon entering, Chris nearly chocked when he saw an elevator in the furthest corner.  
  
"So, who wants to place a bet that the labs are down there?" Claire stated in a light tone.  
  
Chris smiled at his sister's excitement & started to make his way over to the lift. He stopped abruptly, causing another crash of people, there was a pool of blood on the floor but no apparent source. Upon closer inspection, Chris saw that there was a key-card in the blood, he bent down & picked it up, wiping the blood onto his uniform in order to read the card. The card resembled the lab card Claire had showed him from the RCI, except it was blue in colour instead of red. The writing told him that it would release the locks for the Alpha & Beta labs, though Jill had to explain that was what the symbols stood for. Chris pocketed the card & they headed down the lift to the B1 level. 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
  
  
  
  
Rick was first to exit the elevator, Colt in hand. There was a corridor to his left & nothing else but cold, grey, concrete walls. He headed down the corridor, closely followed by the others, he could see a turning to his right, he turned it swiftly, ready for any creatures which might be lurking there, instead he found another corridor, the same as before with the exception of two doors. He opened the door closest to him slightly & looked around, everything appeared to be safe. He opened the door more & stepped inside. It was an 'L-shaped' office, Rick walked forward, having seen another door, the plaque said that it was a storeroom, the same as the label on the key he found in the main hall. Rick quickly tried the door & upon finding it locked, used the key, the key unlocked the door & Rick quickly placed it back in his pocket. He casually walked back to the others & nodded as an affirmation that the room was clear.  
  
"I found something. Looks like an emblem, the note says it provides the power to get to B2." Barry said in his usual gruff voice.  
  
"The next room along was a power room, so I'd guess it'll need to be used in there." Claire added.  
  
"So, we're done here?" Carlos inquired.  
  
"Not quite. There's another door round here." Chris replied from where Rick had just been.  
  
Rick wandered round & followed Chris into the small storeroom, taking in the shelves of junk that seemed to take up the entire room. He saw Chris stop in front of him & walked to him to see what had caught his attention so completely. Rick stopped, he couldn't believe what was in front of him, what he had the key for in his pocket. Ahead of them both was a proto-type weapon, laid out in all it's glory. The plaque told them that it was a hand-held Laser Cannon, it was the ultimate weapon, once perfected. Rick moved closer, seeing a white piece of paper, presumably a document concerning the weapon. The scrap of paper was a disappointment, it said that the weapon was only capable of three shots. Chris walked closer as well & tried to open the container it was placed in. However, Chris soon gave up & gave the order for the group to continue on to the power room.  
  
Upon entering the power room, Rick stood, mouth agape, staring at the intricacy Umbrella had gone to, to keep the power room off-limits, his amazement then turned to curiosity & confusion when he realised the system had been shut down. Someone must have been here before us & turned it off, but how could a human get through that? They must have had extreme training…Maybe it was that woman we saw earlier? Rick shook his head & cautiously made his way down the corridor. He found him self even more surprised by the next section, he hesitantly placed his foot on the floor, to make sure there was no current through it & then continued, he then came to a bridge, which provided access to two doors. Rick paused to allow Chris to go first, he was far from interested in placing an emblem in a hole. Rick waited on the railing whilst the others checked the two rooms for the emblem slot. Leon, where the hell are you? How could you turn your back on us? Surely that woman can't mean more to you than your morals & your friends? The others returned & started to leave the power room, Rick followed, shacking away the thoughts of his friend, knowing that his lack of concentration would mean the loss of his life. 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
  
  
Barry was first out of the lift when they arrived on B2, he had offered to take point & was surprised when Chris had agreed to let him do it. The hall went in two directions, the corridor ahead of him was dark, the light either broken or not switched on, the corridor to his left was clearly lit & a door stood at the end of it. Barry headed down the corridor to his right, Chris & the others following five feet behind him. As Barry arrived got closer to the door, he saw the active card-reader by the side of it & realised that they would not be getting in without the key card.  
  
"Damn it." Barry mumbled.  
  
"What is it?" Chris asked, walking up beside him.  
  
Barry pointed to the card-reader. "That's the problem. We can't get in."  
  
"So we go down the dark one, what's the problem?" Carlos asked rhetorically. Jill nodded, as did Rick. Barry took out a torch from a belt-pouch & made his way back to the other corridor headed down it. His torch landed on a body, slumped against a door, when the reached the end of the corridor, it was bloody & seemed to have been scratched & pecked. Three large holes could be seen in the chest, presumably the cause of death, his ankles were also chewed up, presumably by a zombie. Barry stepped closer to see if he could open the door, when suddenly, the body grabbed his legs & tried to take a bite out of them, Barry pulled himself backwards & ended up falling on his ass. He shuffled backwards & pulled out his gun, he pulled the trigger & turned the zombie's head to mush, as he did, a key-card fell from the zombie's pocket onto the floor. Chris helped Barry up, who mumbled a 'thank you' & turned away to hide a bright- red face.  
  
"So?" Claire asked. It took Barry a moment to realise that she was asking him about the door & the key-card, he bent down & picked it up.  
  
"I think this card is for the other door. The other card we found should be for this door." Barry said & moved aside for Chris to use the key-card.  
  
"We're finally getting somewhere then." Jill said as she followed Chris into the room. Reaching the labs had seemed to raise everyone's spirits once again & Barry only hoped that this time they would not be disappointed. 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
  
  
  
  
  
Barry was less than pleased when he entered the room, to say the place was a pigsty was an understatement. Everything was smashed up, equipment was strewn all over the floor, which was worryingly covered in feathers. They rounded the corner to find broken cages & mangled corpses, which belonged to the scientists that had worked there. The few computers that were on the desktop were smashed up so badly, they were nearly unrecognisable. Barry headed towards the door, which presumably adjoined the Alpha Laboratory to this one, when he got within two feet of the door, a strange looking bird jumped in front of it. Barry pulled out his magnum & aimed at the bird, though he did not fire, as the noise might incite any other creatures in the room to attack. The canary-coloured bird opened it's beak & emitted a high-pitched warble, the lab then came alive with the sound of rustling & a mass of the same warbling noise, they were now in the situation Barry had been afraid of causing, a second major battle against these new & devastating mutations, only this time, they were low on ammunition & still tired from their last encounter, things were not looking good.  
  
A bird jumped at Barry & he was sure he was a goner, like the man outside had been but at the last moment, Chris smacked the creature against the wall with his shotgun.  
  
"Thanks Chris, I owe you." Barry said, his relief all to apparent.  
  
"It's still moving, so don't thank me yet." Chris replied hastily. Barry nodded & the fighting ensued. Barry put his magnum as close to the bird as he could & pulled the trigger, reducing the head to pulp, he then turned & noticed that Rick was, once again, covering him, Barry nodded his thanks & continued in the same routine as before. Everyone was soon falling back into exhaustion & their ammunition was very depleted, Chris had the most, as he had been using headshots most of the time, Barry was the least well off, as he only had his Colt, whereas everyone else had a pistol to fall back on. Barry shook his head, regretting not taking the other's initiative. Just as he was about to call it quits, having only one round left, Barry noticed a gas canister in the corner of the room, the propane gas was a refill canister for the burners on the worktop, Barry aimed carefully, taking the steps Chris had taught him & fired, the .357 round neatly entering the canister & igniting the gas, there was a huge explosion, considering the size of the canister & the deadly creatures were either incinerated, or smashed against the walls at such speed, that they became red smudges around the room. Barry sighed in relief & the group congratulated him before they continued into the next room. 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
  
  
Jill smiled as she entered the room & saw the computer terminal. The document in Office Four had provided a username & password for the computer in this laboratory. Jill grabbed the document & made her way to the computer & sat down. She turned the computer on & waited for the sign-in screen to load up. When it did, she typed in the username, Chalent & the password, Ma-53. The computer then began loading again & stopped on a screen with two options, one was a warning & the other was a door lock control. Jill looked up at Chris, who was stood to the side of her, to ask him what to look at. Chris shrugged & then pointed to the warning. Jill moved the mouse & clicked on the link, the screen changed again, this time, it displayed a warning & a document. Jill read the warning first, it said that the mutations the scientists were working on had escaped, which was nothing they didn't know already. Next came a document describing one of the two mutations:  
  
Av-09 (Stalker)  
  
The Av-09 is a kiwi infected with the M-Virus. The most notable feature of the Av-09 is it's beak. The long, slightly curved beak is razor-sharp on the side & ends with a point, somewhat like a sword. The beak also contains small, razor-sharp teeth.  
  
The Av-09 is twice the size of a normal kiwi. The claws on the feet are very sharp & are approximately three inches in length, they enter flesh without problem when the Av-09 scratches or jumps at it's prey. The body of the bird is still feathered, though the feathers are shorter than that of the kiwi & a yellow in colour, rather than the brown feathers kiwis are known for.  
  
We already got acquainted with those nasty little things. We don't need a re-run. Guess I unlock the door, hopefully, it will be something useful, for a change. She closed the window & clicked on the door-lock release option, the computer then returned the interactive mode.  
  
"This section is off-limits under normal circumstances, as you are a guest user, have you been sent by the company?" The computer voice sounded like a teenage girl.  
  
"Yes." Jill replied.  
  
"I will ask again, this time, do not try to lie or I will deny you access to the system."  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
"Better. Why are you here?"  
  
"To collect something."  
  
"So you require access to the Secret Room on the First Level?"  
  
"I guess. What's in there?"  
  
"The Secret Room is the Master Control Area, or MCA, it contains anything of any importance."  
  
"Why are you co-operating with us?"  
  
"The company has abandoned us, so I will abandon them. I do not like the suffering my users have endured & I do not like being alone. I ask only one thing in return, destroy the base before you leave."  
  
"The system in the power room?"  
  
"Yes. If you activate it, I can choose when to set it off. There is no danger to you."  
  
"Do we need a code or something along those lines?"  
  
"Yes. The code is the name of the research."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"I do. I'll go do it & meet up with you guys in the main hall." Rick said. Jill noticed that he was already by the door when he said it, so he could slip straight out before anyone could argue.  
  
"Good. Now I will let you continue, click on the link to unlock to door, it must be accessed via the door on the West Wing. Thank you & good-bye. Good luck with what ever it is you are doing." The computer ended the interactive mode & Jill proceeded to unlock the door, she then shutdown the terminal & the group left the room.  
  
"Shit, we're going to have to split up. Some of us need to meet Rick & head to the room, the rest of us need to check out the other room with the card-reader." Chris said, after stopping suddenly.  
  
"Why don't you, Claire & Barry go to meet Rick & Carlos & I can check the other room. We can all meet in the main hall when we're done." Jill said, though instantly she felt stupid for having done so.  
  
"If you're sure the two of you can handle it. You have the radio if you need us." Chris stated before continuing to the elevator.  
  
Jill stood stunned for a few moments then she started walking towards the next destination.  
  
"I appreciate you choosing like that senorita, got to admit, I felt a little awkward with them." Carlos whispered. Jill felt herself blushing again, so she nodded briskly & carried on walking. 


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
  
  
  
  
Rick ran to the Power Room & stopped just outside the door, taking a deep breath, he entered the room & swiftly made his way through, not wanting to risk re-starting any of the room's defences. He entered the room to his left, annoyed with himself for having not checked the rooms with the others, he wanted to be quick so that he could return to the storeroom & collect the proto-type. After looking through the entire length of the room, he discovered that he had entered the wrong one, he jogged back to the door & entered the other room, a large generator stood in front of him & there was a wall to his left, turning to his right, he was annoyed to find that the triggering system was right in front of him. He walked forward & activated the system, hoping that the password was what he thought it was. The screen lit up & asked for the system to be initiated manually, or via the computer, Rick hit the switch for the computer, the screen then changed to password input. Name of the research is the password, it has to mean the name of the virus, what else could it be? The document said those things were made with the M-Virus, that has to be the answer. Rick typed M-Virus & hit enter, the screen showed the message, password accepted, self-destruct activated. Rick sighed in relief & quickly made his way out of the room.  
  
Carlos followed Jill down the corridor, trying his best to concentrate on the task & not her body. Why the hell does she have to be so good-looking, it's so distracting, Jill is just, perfect. Maybe I'll ask he on a date when we make it out, I think I might have a shot. No harm in trying at least & if she says no, I never have to see her again anyway, or I could say I was playing around so I could see her…Get a grip Carlos. He shook his head, smirking, when he looked up, he realised that they had made it to the other room, Gamma Lab. He entered the room before Jill, gun raised, though he was relieved to find that the room was creature less & completely sterile. Looking around the room, he could see a development area, which seemed to be for mechanical devises, rather than creatures or viruses, desks with computers, presumably for storing whatever information they gained & an area which was divided from the rest of the room by a mesh fence. Carlos headed towards the fenced off area & looked inside, it was a storage area, with various bits of metal, batteries & cables, some of it looked like gun parts, so Carlos assumed that this was where the gun in the storeroom was made.  
  
"Nothing here senorita, just a lot of junk." Carlos stated, turning to face Jill with a half-smile.  
  
"Then I guess we go to the main hall & wait for Chris." Jill replied, returning the smile. Carlos nodded in response & followed her back to the elevator. When they arrived at the lift, Jill decided to check if Rick had managed to get the self-destruct online, so they stopped on B1 & headed back towards the power room, they arrived just as Rick was leaving. Rick looked up at them with a startled expression.  
  
"Chris & the others headed for the secret room, while we checked the other lab, so I thought we'd check if you got the self-destruct on." Jill said, a little faster than she normally spoke.  
  
"Oh, I see. Yeah, its on." Rick replied & Carlos couldn't help but pick up a hint of disappointment.  
  
"We should go, unless there was something else you wanted to do?" Carlos added the last part as a question but it was more an insinuation, he could tell Rick wanted to do something but didn't want to make it too obvious.  
  
"Err, no, there isn't anything else." Rick replied, obviously nervous.  
  
"Lets go then." Jill suggested, before walking back to the elevator.  
  
"I know there's something else compadre, so what is it?" Carlos asked in a low tone, then added, "Don't bother trying to lie to me."  
  
"Promise not to tell?" Rick whispered back. Carlos simply nodded, encouraging Rick's response.  
  
"I was going to get the gun, I found the key in the main hall, the Office was locked too but I opened it before anyone noticed." Rick looked embarrassed because of his deception but Carlos just smirked in response.  
  
"Not bad. We won't need the gun, so we'd better leave it, no point in making trouble for yourself." Rick nodded, both in agreement & as a thank you, for Carlos keeping his mouth shut. They both joined Jill in the elevator & headed back to the main hall to wait for Chris & the others.  
  
Claire walked ahead of Chris & Barry, eager to leave as soon as possible, she had a bad feeling but didn't want to worry anyone, or get ridiculed by Chris. She arrived to where the door was meant to be & found an elaborate mahogany door trimmed with gold, she opened the door carefully & entered. This place is amazing, it must have cost a fortune. The paintings & statues I presume are top quality, they certainly look it & I know those flowers are, the document in the paper said one flower was worth $10,000 & they have three whole plants. What a waste of perfectly good things, they're all just going to be blown-up. Claire sighed & continued to look around the room, her eyes fell on an envelope on the desk & she walked to it & opened it. Upon removing the contents, she found a VHS tape, a virus sample, a couple of hand-written documents & an audiocassette.  
  
"Chris…" Claire said, barely able to contain her excitement.  
  
"What is it?" Chris asked, walking to her.  
  
"This is it, the proof, we have it." She replied, almost jumping around in her excitement.  
  
"Are you sure Claire?" Chris asked, also sounding somewhat more enthusiastic.  
  
"Positive, look." She moved aside for Chris to see.  
  
"I think you're right. Okay, put it back in the package & lets join the others. This calls for a major celebration." Chris replied.  
  
Once the contents were safely returned to the envelope, they returned to the main hall as quickly as they could, eager to tell the others of their findings. 


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
  
  
  
  
Leon stood behind Wesker, who was heading out of the partitioned area, ready to ruin the S.T.A.R.S member's apparently good mood. He was beginning to feel bad & wasn't sure that he could face them but he knew Wesker wouldn't give him a choice in the matter.  
  
"I wouldn't begin the celebrations just yet, you still have to make it out of here alive & I don't intend to let that happen.  
  
"Wesker." Chris growled his disdain.  
  
"Leon, you moron, what were you thinking?" Rick's voice snapped Leon out of his reverie, making him feel even worse, considering his best friend was also in danger.  
  
"I…" Leon started but he had no idea what to say.  
  
"I know, I always do. You made a big mistake & you know it, so why not just rectify it, rather than standing behind that loser?" Rick looked pointedly at Wesker, before turning back to Leon.  
  
"He's right Leon, please come back to us." Claire added, pleadingly.  
  
"Kennedy belongs to HCF now. Forget it." Wesker sneered.  
  
"You're going to pay for your crimes Wesker." Chris said & Leon was grateful for the shift in attention.  
  
"You really think you have a chance against me Chris? Have you forgotten our last encounter already? You are the one who is going to pay. You & the rest of your silly group." Wesker retorted.  
  
It's hard to believe just how much hatred there is in this guy. What should I do? I don't want to turn my back on them but I gave my word that I wouldn't help them. The only reason I was here was for Aki but she's gone, so what reason do I have now? I wish I'd never seen her, that I'd never agreed, even if I do go back, it'll never be the same, they'll never trust me again. Leon was snapped out of his thoughts by a 'bang', he looked up to see Rick on the floor, a pool of blood forming around him, Wesker still had his gun pointed to where Rick had been standing & was leering over him. Everyone else was just stood with shocked expressions, it was as if time had frozen.  
  
"L, Leon…" Rick barely said his name but it was enough to snap Leon into motion. He went to his friend, unable to speak.  
  
"I don't blame you for what you did, I nearly did the same for Karen. Just go home, you don't belong with them." Rick's voice was weak, it was clear that he didn't have long to live.  
  
"I'm sorry Rick, this is all my fault, I…" Leon was cut off by a dismissive wave from Rick.  
  
"Don't be sorry, you learnt a lesson you needed to know. Promise you'll go home Leon. Or I'll haunt your sorry ass."  
  
"I promise Rick."  
  
A large crash came from behind Leon & he turned to see the Tyrant they had encountered in the Pickerel Lake Complex. Extirpate walked calmly towards Wesker & in a blindingly fast movement, put it's claw through him & threw him through the partition.  
  
"Leon, take this, quick." Rick's voice was a mere whisper, he handed him the keys & continued. "Go to B1, there's an office, in the storeroom there's a gun, get it & save your friends."  
  
"I won't just leave you Rick." Leon retorted, fear in his voice.  
  
"Just go Leon. They are the ones who need you now. Hurry up, or everyone dies."  
  
Leon was about to argue again when Extirpate roared, Leon realised that he had no other choice, he gripped the keys tightly, said goodbye to Rick & ran as quickly as he could up the stairs, determined not to fail the others, as he had failed Rick. 


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
  
  
  
  
As soon as Leon was out of sight, Chris removed his shotgun from his back holster, he was determined to keep the tyrant busy until Leon returned with the Laser Cannon. Extirpate turned in his direction & began walking towards him, with the same lazy pace as before Chris opened fire, the customised shotgun clearly damaging the creature but not nearly enough to stop it, the tyrant didn't even slowdown when hit by the rounds, which seemed to rebound off the creature, though they caused small cuts or bruises, no rounds penetrated it's armoured exterior. Damn this thing, why couldn't it have just died in Pickerel? Bloody Umbrella just can't make things easy, can it? Well, we won't be defeated & this time, we have the proof we need. Umbrella is going down. As Chris fired his last round, Barry fired at the creature from another direction, turning it's attention away from Chris, giving him a chance to reload his weapon. This tactic continued a while longer, until Extirpate decided to ignore Barry's shots & continue after Chris, who cursed & commando rolled aside, just in time to avoid it's deadly claws. Chris ran away from the creature but Extirpate increased it's speed & easily kept up. Chris headed towards the desk & dived over it, hoping to by himself some time, the Extirpate however, had other plans & threw the plant at him, which in turn made Chris collide with the filing cabinets. Chris collapsed against the cabinets, too dazed even to realise that the Extirpate was standing over him. Chris felt himself being lifted into the air & he cleared his head enough to realise that if he failed to do something quickly, he would share Wesker's fate. He caught sight of Leon, gun in hand & heard a voice telling him to duck. Chris grabbed a piece of metal from the broken cabinets & stabbed it into the hand on the tyrant. Extirpate roared in pain & dropped him & seconds later, a bright light surrounded it, when the light faded, there was nothing left of the tyrant. Chris stood up & brushed himself off.  
  
"Nice timing Kennedy, guess I owe you." Chris said, trying to ease his obvious discomfort. Barry had also fallen pray to Wesker 's ploys through the incentive of loved ones, so Chris realised he couldn't blame Leon if he didn't blame Barry. "Got the proof still Claire?" Claire nodded & smiled her appreciation. "Great, then lets get out of here, the computer can handle the rest. Everyone nodded & they headed out of the base, after paying their final respects to Rick. 


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
  
  
  
  
Leon returned to the AUO base & informed the others about Rick, they insisted that he return after helping the S.T.A.R.S one last time. Chris had been most insistent that Leon took them to the HCF base, though no one really expected them to be there. Leon had agreed but was preoccupied with other things to really pay much attention to what they were saying. After leaving the base, it had not exploded as they had expected, Carlos had suggested that the computer was simply being careful & would detonate once they were well away from the base, everyone had agreed that it was probably the case but Leon couldn't help but doubt it, he was sure they were missing something. The base finally did explode twenty five minutes later, which Leon knew was much longer than necessary, he couldn't help but think that it was a set up, Aki dying, Wesker being oblivious to the tyrant, the keys Wesker had him plant being given back to him by Rick, providing him with the weapon needed to destroy Extirpate, there were just too many coincidences. Leon played back the events in his head, trying to find a clue that would prove or disprove his thoughts but was knocked out of his reverie by Claire. "We need to know where to go from here." She said softly. "Oh, right, sorry. The dirt track, it'll go on for about fifteen minutes & arrive at a warehouse type building, that's the surface of the base. The entrance to the main portion of the base is accessed inside." Leon replied, offering as much information as he could. He felt terrible for betraying them & was doing all he could to make it up to them. When the arrived at the base, it had been completely cleared out, not even a fingerprint had been left & the site itself looked as though it had been abandoned for years, the section that had housed the elevator had been destroyed & flooded to prevent anyone from entering the area again. One thing could be said for HCF, they were thorough, there were no silly mistakes like Umbrella made, it was simply as though they didn't exist. 


	19. Author's Notes

1 Author's Notes  
  
Well, another story done.  
  
I hope everyone enjoyed it.  
  
If I do make mistakes, or you think something is wrong, then please tell me or I won't know.  
  
I appreciate the reviews everyone has written & its nice to see that some people are following the series.  
  
I do have a few ideas for the follow-up but whether I write another one or not depends entirely on the reviews. I intend to end the series after two more stories, providing I continue.  
  
If the next in the series is written, it will be called  
  
Resident Evil: A Chance To Stop Umbrella  
  
And the last in the series will be  
  
Resident Evil: The End Is Nigh  
  
I did write something when I was bored, which could be the prologue to a fifth story but I don't intend to use it, unless it is requested.  
  
So, I hope to hear your ideas & comments in the reviews.  
  
Thanks one again to everyone that has reviewed my work.  
  
C ya! 


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